WORKKEYS SCORES AGAIN

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WORKKEYS SCORES AGAIN! A. Candace Noble
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A new score scale has been created that

• is more fine-grained than the Level Score Scale
• can be used for lower-stakes decision making
• is approved for use in Ability-to-Benefit and
  Adult Basic Education funding compliance

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What is this score scale?

• It ranges from 65-90 for the multiple-choice
  tests and from 50-90 for the Listening/Writing
  test. No scale scores are available for
  Observation and Business Writing at this time.
• It is directly linked to Level Scores.

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How do I decide which scores to use?

• Level Scores Used for selection, promotion, or
  other individual high-stakes purposes, because
  they are
• directly linked to the profiles and must be the
  scores used in selection and promotion decisions
• broad bands, and thus more stable than the Scale
  Scores

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Scale Scores Use to show growth over time,
compare group outcomes, and show evidence of
Ability to Benefit because they

• provide the finer gradations for testing in
  circumstances where finer distinctions are
• needed, such as in training and education.

• are used to determine Ability to Benefit cut
  scores and evaluate performance relative to
  Adult Basic Education performance levels.

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Specific Uses of the New Score Scale

• Pretest/Posttest
• sensitive to instruction and can detect subtle
  changes in performance

• Comparisons in Group Outcomes
• useful in detecting small performance differences
  between groups
• helpful in longitudinal analysis of performance

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Specific Uses of the New Score Scale

• Federal Program Accountability
• approved for use with Adult Basic Education and
  other Department of Education/Department of Labor
  adult education and training programs requiring
  common measures.
• accepted by the Department of Education for use
  in determining Ability to Benefit in connection
  with Federal Student Aid.

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Use with Adult Basic Education

• Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and
  Writing have been approved
• Can be used for Adult Basic Education (ABE)
  levels High Intermediate and above
• Studies are being conducted this
• year to look at performance
• at lower ABE levels

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Use with Ability to Benefit

• Program for returning students to receive
  financial aid via postsecondary institutions
  receiving Title IV HEA funding
• Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics
  have been approved
• Cut scores determined by the Department
  of Education
• Requires an independent test
  administrator
• Limited to certain test forms

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To Obtain Score Reports with Scale ScoresContact
1-800-WORKKEYFor Further Information About . .
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• the scale scores and how they were developed, go
  to http//www.act.org/workkeys/pdf/scale_score_int
  erp_guide.pdf
• WorkKeys assessments and the DOE/DOL Ability
• to Benefit, contact 1-800-WORKKEY or visit
  www.act.org/workkeys
• common measures, visit the Department of Labors
  website
• http//www.doleta.gov/Performance/guidance/
  Adminstrators_Mtg_QA_for_web_1-12-04.cfmCommon